~Chapter 33~
Brother Vincent licked his lips and stood up.
His muscles tensed, like a wild animal about to leap, but the duke walked across the dining hall, totally ignoring Vincent, and sat right across from me.
Of course, Baron Conte, who had been sitting there, gave up his seat the moment the duke glanced at him. He didn’t even need to say a word.
‘Baron Conte was acting normal, but Vincent…’
I remembered what I’d seen earlier.
I’d never thought I’d see such an expression on that gentle priest’s face. His eyes glimmered with a madness I’d only seen before in an inquisitor—a wild look, like someone who believed he had received God’s orders.
“Why did Vincent look like that?”
But when I looked again, Vincent was calmly back in his seat, quietly sipping his now-cold wine, his face as calm as deep water.
It was as if what I’d seen had been my imagination.
‘Ah, he must’ve just been startled.’
After all, it wasn’t strange. He was face-to-face with the Duke of Lombard, the strongest man in the north—a living legend.
Vincent’s reaction was a bit extreme, but still understandable.
‘How timid do you have to be to make a face like that just meeting the duke?’
I sighed to myself and patted Vincent on the shoulder, then turned to the duke.
Vincent gave me a confused look, but I ignored it.
“Your Grace, what brings you all the way here? You must be busy.”
“I was nearby and heard you were here, so I stopped in for a visit.”
Finally, the duke smiled, his eyes softening as he stopped staring at Vincent.
I kept my voice polite but distant.
“Dinner is already over—will you be alright?”
“It’s a shame I missed the monastery’s famous food, but I ate already. More importantly, I heard you’re planning to stay here a few days?”
“Yes.”
Before he could go further, I jumped in.
“Even if you try to stop me, I’m not changing my mind.”
I guessed why the duke showed up at this tiny monastery. It must bother him that I was staying somewhere outside his full control. At the castle, everything is under his watch; here, it isn’t. And if the lady of the house is out and about, the rumors could be troublesome.
But I was stubborn.
Why would anyone go back to working at the castle when they could relax and enjoy a quiet “vacation” at the monastery? Not me.
I kept insisting I’d sleep at the monastery, and the duke’s face became difficult to read.
“I think you’re misunderstanding me, madam.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Actually, I wanted to say I’ll be staying here a few days too.”
“……What?”
What kind of nonsense was this?
The duke definitely knew there was only one guest room at the monastery. Was he saying he’d share a room with me? He couldn’t mean that… right?
“Your Grace, I’m sorry, but our monastery is very humble and has only one guest room…”
Even the brothers and nuns who had been pretending not to listen looked surprised.
A brave brother spoke up:
“But madam is already staying in that room…”
“If the lady, who was raised finer than me, is using it, it should be fine for me.”
“Well, that’s true…”
The brother gave in too quickly! What about standing up for me?!
‘Come on, resist a little!’
“It would be shameful if the lord of Lombard just sat back while the madam tries so hard to learn about her people’s lives.”
“Oh!”
Everyone nodded in agreement. At this rate, I’d have to share a room with the duke!
“Your Grace, you know…”
Finally, Father Filio, the head, spoke up, carefully choosing his words.
“As you must know, we have only one guest room. Won’t it be uncomfortable for you?”
“Ah.”
The duke nodded as if he just realized something.
Yes! Finally, someone understands!
“But we’re married. Why would that be a problem? One room is enough.”
Excuse me?!
At this point, I was screaming on the inside.
I’d already made a big deal about wanting to see the people’s lives up close, so it was impossible to change my mind now.
It was too late to try escaping anywhere else; it was already dark, and there were dangerous animals outside the walls.
If I’d brought more people, maybe… but all I had was Baron Conte and the coachman.
I thought about just squeezing in with the nuns, but their rooms were like coffins—too small.
The guest room was only slightly better.
‘Ugh, at this rate, I’ll just have to drag out my bath for as long as possible. Maybe seven hours? I can do it. I’ll just soak in the water until he falls asleep!’
I was ready to drown in the bath if I had to. So I politely suggested,
“Your Grace, why don’t you go rest first? I have a habit of bathing before bed.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to bring the bath water to the room?”
“The room is too small for that.”
I’d seen the guest room before. It was tiny—just a bed, a nightstand, and a tiny desk.
If you tried to bring bath water in, you’d have to break the bed or throw out the desk.
The nuns stood up to help me.
“We’ll heat water for you.”
“Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”
As I left, I noticed the duke watching me go, then turning to stare at Vincent.
Gone was his usual gentle smile; his eyes were sharp and hungry, like a hunting dog.
Vincent smiled back with a strange look.
In the end, I ended up wrapped in the duke’s cloak, lying on the bed.
“Are you alright, madam?”
“……”
A hard lump formed in my throat.
I had planned to stay in the bath for seven hours, but I had completely forgotten how rough life was outside the castle.
After just ten minutes, I felt like I would freeze to death.
The wind slipped in through the thin walls, and my boiling bathwater cooled off almost instantly.
Even breathing felt like my lungs were turning to ice.
‘Right, this is how it really is… damn it!!’
The nuns had asked if I’d be okay in the cold, and I should’ve listened.
But I tried to tough it out. I’d rather freeze than share a room with the duke.
But then—
‘Madam, are you alright?!’
‘We’ll come save you right away!’
I had stayed in the bath for over twenty minutes, and the nuns started to worry. Maybe something had happened.
So, they burst into the bathhouse and found me almost frozen. They wrapped me up in towels and carried me straight to the guest room.
Of course, the one who received me was the duke.
He took one look at my blue face and, without hesitation, wrapped me up in every blanket in the room.
He picked me up and put me in bed, then touched my face with his big, warm hand, checking my temperature.
“Are you alright?”
His rough, calloused hand was steady and gentle.
It was such a natural movement, like he’d done it a thousand times.
‘Lord Edwin, cough… Please go back to the castle before it gets any later.’
‘Don’t say that. How can I leave someone who’s sick?’
‘But it’s almost dark. What if a wild animal comes?’
‘Then I’ll stay up all night with you. If anything scary comes, I’ll chase it away.’
When I was a child, I was often sick, and Edwin was used to taking care of me. But in this life, as a nobleman, he’d never have had to nurse anyone.
He smiled at me with a strange look.
“Even if you look at me like that, madam, you’re just not my type…”
What the heck.
Any emotion I had was instantly ruined by his words.
The duke, totally oblivious, kept talking while I glared daggers at him.
